Joint Meeting for the Rules and Open Government Committee and Committee of the Whole
TL;DR
The San Jose Rules and Open Government Committee and Committee of the Whole met on June 3, 2026 to review agendas for upcoming meetings and approve routine items. The committee approved retroactive authorization for a Juneteenth event at City Hall and directed city staff to analyze policies for activating vacant commercial storefronts to reduce blight citywide.
Key Decisions
- Retroactive approval of Juneteenth Power 50 Freedom Ball event Approved
- Monthly Report of Activities for May 2026 (City Auditor) Approved
- Policy analysis directive on vacant commercial storefront activation Approved for staff analysis
Agenda
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- How to observe the Meeting (no public comment):
- 1) Cable Channel 24 2) https://www.sanjoseca.gov/news-stories/watch-a-meeting 3) https://www.youtube.com/CityofSanJoseCalifornia 4) By phone 888 475 4499. Webinar ID: 941 1478 1397. Alternative phone numbers are: US: +1 (213) 338-8477 or +1 (408) 638-0968 or (877) 853-5257 (Toll Free) 5) By online https://sanjoseca.zoom.us/j/94114781397 Use a current, up-to-date browser: Chrome 30+, Firefox 27+, Microsoft Edge 12+, Safari 16+. Certain functionality may be disabled in older browsers including Internet Explorer.
- How to submit written Public Comment for items on the agenda:
- 1) By email to city.clerk@sanjoseca.gov by 8:00 a.m. the day of the meeting.
- How to provide spoken Public Comment during the Committee Meeting:
- Fill out a Yellow Speaker's Card and submit it to boxes at the bottom of the Chambers.
- City Council (City Clerk)
- Review Final Agenda
- ROGC 26-236 Review June 9, 2026 Final Agenda. a. Add New Items to Final Agenda b. Assign "Time Certain" to Agenda Items (if needed) c. Review of Notice of Waiver Requirements for Agenda Items or Documents (if needed)Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals Consent
- Review Draft Agenda
- ROGC 26-237 Review June 16, 2026 Draft Agenda. a. Add New Items to Draft Agenda b. Assign "Time Certain" to Agenda Items (if needed) c. Review of Notice of Waiver Requirements for Agenda Items or Documents (if needed)Review Draft Agenda
- Notice to the public: There will be no separate discussion of individual Consent Calendar items as they are considered to be routine and will be adopted by one motion. If a member of the Committee requests debate, separate vote or recusal on a particular item, that item may be removed from the Consent Calendar by the Chair and considered separately. The public may comment on the entire Consent Calendar and any items removed from the Consent Calendar by the Chair.
- Consent Calendar
- 1. Retroactive Approval of "Free Use" of the Janet Gray Hayes Rotunda on June 7, 2026 for the African American Community Service Agency's Juneteenth Power 50 Freedom Ball Sponsored by the Office of Mayor Matt Mahan as a City Council Sponsored Special Event to Expend City Funds and Accept Donations of Materials and Services for the Event. (Mayor)Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals Consent
1. Adopt a resolution retroactively authorizing “Free Use” of the Janet Gray Hayes Rotunda for the private, invitation-only Power 50: Juneteenth Mayors Freedom Ball held on June 7, 2026 2. Retroactively approve the Power 50: Juneteenth Mayors Freedom Ball as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds. 2. Retroactively approve and accept donations from various individuals, businesses or community groups to support the event. 3. Place the item on the June 9, 2026 City Council Agenda for action.
- 2. Monthly Report of Activities for May 2026. (City Auditor)Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals Consent
Approve the Auditor’s Office Monthly Report of Activities for the month of May 2026.
- Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals
- 1. Policy Analysis of Vacant Commercial Storefront Activation Tools. (Tordillos, Cohen, Ortiz, Mulcahy, and Doan)Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals
Direct the City Manager’s Office to work with the appropriate departments, including but not limited to, Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement, the City Manager's Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs, and the City Attorney’s Office, to return with an analysis and options for potential administrative, regulatory, and programmatic actions to support the activation of vacant commercial storefronts and reduction of blight citywide. This referral is intended to initiate policy analysis and return with recommendations. The analysis should include identification of workload impacts, fiscal implications, and alignment with existing departmental work plans. The analysis should include, but not be limited to, evaluation of the following: 1. Evaluate potential amendments to San José Municipal Code Section 20.150, as well as any other relevant ordinances, Municipal Code sections, or City Council policies, to extend the allowable period for reestablishing a legal nonconforming use without requiring a new Special Use Permit from six months to up to three years. Additionally, evaluate appropriate limitations, safeguards, or categorical exclusions that may be necessary to address potential impacts associated with such an extension. 2. Evaluate existing restaurant and small business programs within the City Manager's Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affair and the Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement Department to identify opportunities to strengthen interdepartmental coordination and better align program resources toward the activation of vacant storefronts. The analysis should assess program effectiveness, administrative feasibility, fiscal impacts, and policy implications and return with recommendations and implementation direction informed by these considerations. 3. Evaluate potential amendments to San José Municipal Code Section 20.80 and relevant City Council Policies, including 6-28, 6-29, and 8-14, to determine whether establishing a ministerial stand-alone demolition permit process for certain vacant industrial and commercial buildings is legally feasible and advisable. This evaluation should consider applicability only where California Environmental Quality Act permits ministerial approval and where the building is not a designated or potentially historic resource, and should preserve environmental screening requirements for polychlorinated biphenyls, commonly known as PCBs (as referenced in City Council Policy 6-28) and maintain waste diversion obligations under Section 9.10 of the San José Municipal Code. a. The analysis should be options-based and may identify and assess a range of potential regulatory and implementation approaches for City Council consideration, without presuming a preferred outcome. Such options may include, but are not limited to, alternative post-demolition site management pathways and compliance or monitoring frameworks. The analysis should assess legal, fiscal, workload, and policy implications before recommending any amendments. [Referred from 5/6/26 - Item C.1 (ROGC 26-201)] [Deferred from 5/20/26 - Item C.1 (ROGC 26-224)]
- Open Forum
- Members of the Public are invited to speak on any item that does not appear on today’s Agenda and that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Committee.
- Adjournment
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- All public records relating to an open session item on this agenda, which are not exempt from disclosure pursuant to the California Public Records Act, that are distributed to a majority of the legislative body will be available for public inspection at San José City Hall, Office of the City Clerk, 200 E. Santa Clara Street, 14th Floor, San José, CA 95113 at the same time that the public records are distributed or made available to the legislative body.
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